Another Afghan School Poisoned — 160 Girls Hospitalized 474
An anonymous reader writes "Back in April, we discussed news of an anti-education attack on an Afghani school, which poisoned 150 Afghan schoolgirls. Now, a hospital in the same province has admitted 160 more girls who seem to have suffered a similar attack. 'Their classrooms might have been sprayed with a toxic material before the girls entered, police spokesman Khalilullah Aseer said. He blamed the Taliban. The incident, the second in a week's time, was reported at the Aahan Dara Girls School in Taluqan, the provincial capital. The girls, ages 10 to 20, complained of headaches, dizziness and vomiting before being taken to the hospital, said Hafizullah Safi, director of the provincial health department. More than half of them were discharged within a few hours of receiving treatment, Safi said. The health department collected blood samples and sent them to Kabul for testing.'"
Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:2, Insightful)
What does this have to do with /.?
Religious extreme (Score:3, Insightful)
And this is exactly where the US could be heading if the current 50% of the population gets any stronger. Rick Santorum was as scary to the US as Hitler was to Germany. If we let nutcases like that become president, which a large number of people supported, this will be common in the US as well.
Another peaceful message (Score:1, Insightful)
from the Religion of Peace (tm)
Re:Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:2, Insightful)
What does this have to do with /.?
absolutely nothing.
Proof that the original /. is dead and gone and all we are left with is this crap-pile of AJAX and bad design.
Re:I think the Taliban are anti-girl. (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:5, Insightful)
Perhaps you've forgotten the old Slashdot slogan: "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters". This kind of stuff was on Slashdot since before I had a Slashdot user ID.
The thing that's changed on Slashdot is that there are now professional Slashdot astroturfers working for big tech companies.
Solution (Score:5, Insightful)
Make the schools coeducated. The Taliban will be pissed but hopefully they wouldn't attack boys.
Re:Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:1, Insightful)
Well, when the opportunity arises, I think the Slashdot editors like to plant a nice racebait story to draw in all the jackasses for a bit. See, pretty soon this thread will devolve into a series of psychotic rants about how we should "kill all them goddam towelheads". That may seem like a reason not to post it, until you consider that for the next couple hours, the rest of us will be able to discuss the next handful of stories in relative peace, save for the blatant Microsoft astroturfing that will inevitably dominate the first posts.
Can someone remind me why I still read the comments here?
Re:Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:5, Insightful)
I assume the education slant would appeal to nerds. Nerds should be pro-education and should be concerned about literally violent anti-education movements.
Re:Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Hopefully they will soon make the realization t (Score:5, Insightful)
Uh I don't think you get the import. This wasn't an attack against random women, it was an attack against women seeking an education. They are aware that they need women. They would rather those women stay at home and spit out then take care of sons rather than seek to better themselves.
The message is: Women who seek to become educated will be targeted with violence. Remain at home, weak, ignorant, and dependent. Then there will be slightly less^W^W no violence.
Re:I think the Taliban are anti-girl. (Score:4, Insightful)
Christian Nation? (Score:4, Insightful)
And this is exactly where the US could be heading if the current 50% of the population gets any stronger. Rick Santorum was as scary to the US as Hitler was to Germany. If we let nutcases like that become president, which a large number of people supported, this will be common in the US as well.
Most Americans do not really believe in religion, and only identify with Christianity because they think they should, and the certainly are not Muslims.
The truth is that while many people are vaguely âoespiritualâ, most people no longer attend church regularly if at all, and only a small percentage of so-called âoeChristiansâ in this country can tell you anything at all about the Bible, old or new.
There are people who bleat about this being a âoeChristian Nationâ, but statistically, factually, it isnâ(TM)t so. I donâ(TM)t think it can even be proven that we are a âoecertainly not a Muslim nationâ, either.
We are mostly agnostic.
Re:Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:5, Insightful)
"... to draw in all the jackasses for a bit."
I don't think the Taliban read Slashdot.
Universal Human Rights Are Above Relativity (Score:4, Insightful)
How is one culture supposed to judge another culture? Everything is relative...
Until you actually get told otherwise by your conscience.
Well, from my philosophy courses in college (as financially useless as they may have been) there's actually been a lot of study and attempts to codify [un.org] what should be regarded as Universal rights. There's no need for us to rely on our "conscious" or someone else's conscious nor should we sit back if we feel that human rights are being abused in another nation that is sovereign. I'm a very liberal open minded person. If you want to worship some stupid magic person in the sky, go to town. If they start to infringe upon others' life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, then we have issues that must be remedied.
Your lax definition of a 'Conscious' be damned, begin the escalation of political pressure then economic pressure then physical pressure.
Sort of on topic, from your signature:
Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
The Nazis were stopped because they blatantly violated (nearly) everyone's rules of Universal Human Rights -- so much so that many of their own detested it. And we should not allow something like the Holocaust to happen again. Communism, on the other hand, is a counter case. We went into Vietnam under the laughable pretenses that a Universal Human Right is capitalism in place of communism (with obvious self interests). Believe it or not, communism does not blatantly violate everyone's rules of Universal Human Rights and so we were kind of lacking on the support and moral high ground for that war. If you think communism has been "ended" and that it has been "ended" by war and not inherent corruption that it can't seem to shake -- you and I must be reading different books by very different authors.
To recap, Universal Human Rights transcend your suggestion of relativity. I'm not sure but if you're attempting to make fun of people who tolerate other cultures by saying it's relative, there's no place for that when you're dealing with a child's life and their attempt to be educated.
Re:Another peaceful message (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Another peaceful message (Score:5, Insightful)
Because of course a small number of evil bastards act with the full support of all of the billions of Muslims in the world. By your logic, guys like Anders Breivik and Scott Roeder act with the full support of all Christians.
Re:Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Mass Hysteria (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly. I read Slashdot not because I don't care about the non-tech world, but because I don't care about the pointless drivel that fills most "news" sources. I don't care about the some bimbo's annulled wedding, or the color of a pop star's shoes, or the 12 most adorable breeds of puppies. I want to know news about my interests, and things that will have a lasting effect on the world I live in. I want news for nerds and stuff that matters. I read Slashdot.
Re:Islam strikes again! (Score:5, Insightful)
If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as menservants do.
Exodus 21:7
And this is hardly the only instance of this sort of sexism in Judaism and Christianity. What's your point?
Re:Another peaceful message (Score:4, Insightful)
Tell me something, between Christianity and Islam, which one of the two has committed nearly 19,000 terrorist attacks since 9/11? [thereligionofpeace.com] I'll give you a hint, it's not Christianity.
To the mods now. Refute the point, and don't be an intellectual coward and moderate something because you don't like it.
Re:Another peaceful message (Score:4, Insightful)
YOU should actually study the Quran, because it actually says exactly the opposite. It demands that you educate yourself (male and female) and demands that no one be forced to convert because that is not a true conversion. There is no more colonialism in Islam than in Christianity, so just stop. You're not helping educate anyone, you're just spreading more misinformation that furthers the divide of understanding between 3 billion people. Stop it.
Re:Universal Human Rights Are Above Relativity (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes and no.
The US was planning to enter World War II, and advance preparations were well underway, long before the Japanese carriers launched their airplanes. This is obvious from reading the popular press of the time.
Pearl Harbor pulled the trigger. At that point, a contingency plan for fighting simultaneous major wars in Europe and the Pacific was pulled off the shelf and put into operation. That plan called for fighting holding actions in the Pacific, winning in Europe, then winning in the Pacific. Perusal of the history books will reveal that this strategy worked.
Re:Another peaceful message (Score:5, Insightful)
And when the priests were finally caught and sent to prison?
Was the reaction the same as when we killed Osama?
Did the Catholics decapitate anyone for saying bad things about the priests?
Did the Christians kill people because they caught the people murdering doctors who perform abortions?
No?
Then there is a fucking difference.
People get murdered for daring to draw a picture of Mohammad.
No one got killed for "Art" that was a crucifix in urine.
Maybe you should READ more (Score:5, Insightful)
MAYBE if you actually read a book you might learn WHY Muslims have such high need of FEMALE doctors. That is because female patients have to be seen by a female doctor or not at all. The statistic sounds so nice but underneath it is a regime of segregated care where QUALITY of care was of no importance whatsoever.
And 60% of doctors also tells you nothing of the total number of doctors available OR that women (childbirth) need doctors a LOT more then men.
Careful with your statistics young one, they can be tricky things and easily be used to fool you.
Re:Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:5, Insightful)
If I had mod points today, I would have modded you up. How does this relate to tech or IT?
Well I have moderator points.. /. is in a word "education".
What this has to do with
The foundations of tech is education and open knowledge.
Those that wage war on education wage war on us all.
In this micro slice of the world that is /. we tolerate a lot. We enjoy rants and debate.
This article shies a light on a part of the world where intolerance is the norm and expected.
Pay attention.... This is important.
Re:Universal Human Rights Are Above Relativity (Score:5, Insightful)
Believe it or not, communism does not blatantly violate everyone's rules of Universal Human Rights and so we were kind of lacking on the support and moral high ground for that war.
Not true. To quote from Marx's Communist Manifesto:
[The Communists] openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions.
In other words, the only way to establish a Communist society is through violent revolution, which inherently infringes on others rights to life and/or freedom. The entire Manifesto is riddled with calls to violent revolution against the existing social order, and every communist society since (that I know of) has begun that way: through violence and bloodshed.
And I'm not even going into the question of whether property is a Universal right (which I believe it is, or at the very least a necessary prerequisite to freedom), which Communism absolutely inherently opposes by its very definition.
Re:Religious extreme (Score:5, Insightful)
Germany had its economy crushed by the massive reparation payments [bbc.co.uk] imposed on it after WWI, primarily at the instigation of the French, as a part of the treaty of Versailles. Inflation and poverty in 20s/30s Germany was horrendous (people wore suits made from re-purposed paper because cloth was too expensive) and the resulting national depression predisposed the German people to radical alternatives. It didn't help that Hitler was a masterful orator with a Reality Distortion Field that would have made Steve Jobs look like Gerald Ford.
Understanding that part of history is why some people worry about increasing wealth separation/concentration within the US and other Western democracies. Some of the 1% appear to think that controlling information media allows them to control the message and direct the building resentment. Others see an increasingly dry plain and fear the spark and the lightning strike will eventually bypass the media firebreak.
Re:Religious extreme (Score:5, Insightful)
So let me try your way;
Religious extremist poison woman, because their religion says women should not be educated.
Christianity, while not as strongly, also says a women's place is behind the men.
Rick Santorum was a viable candidate for president, supported by many.
In general, the population of the US that supports 'returning to more bible like laws' is near 50%.
Strong extreme christians, of which rick santorum was one, believe in returning to strong biblical laws. Death for homosexuals. death to adulterers. death to those that eat shellfish. death to all who wear polyester pants with a cotton shirt. death to those that might build a muslim mosk in tennessee. death to those that believe climate change could be caused by pollution. death to those that believe in evolution.
I believe it should be death to those who believe in make believe.
Am I clearer now?
Re:Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:5, Insightful)
Education->Science->Technology
I think it's safe to assume that nerds would support efforts to educate people, and attempts to stop that education.
Re:Universal Human Rights Are Above Relativity (Score:3, Insightful)
Actually they pretty much did (save the world...) without the USA, Britain would have run out of food and other material. Very likely the Axis would have taken over Europe unopposed, and eventually they might have even been able to win against Russia if they weren't fighting a war on two fronts. That would have left China and the USA as their only opposition...
Re:Clearly a very serious issue, but (Score:5, Insightful)
I think I just responded to a troll...
Re:Religious extreme (Score:2, Insightful)
Death for homosexuals. death to adulterers. death to those that eat shellfish. death to all who wear polyester pants with a cotton shirt. death to those that might build a muslim mosk in tennessee. death to those that believe climate change could be caused by pollution. death to those that believe in evolution.
See, up until this point, I was about to type up a diatribe explaining that very few Christians are batshit crazy. I've never heard any church say that women were below or must be behind women. The closest I've heard is that women and men serve different roles, but even that's not all that bad, and frankly, it's true. Don't believe me? How many women play for the Dallas Cowboys? OK then.
Either way, it's frustrating to read how many people truly believe that all Christians don't believe in evolution, think that the earth is 6000 years old, think that the Bible should be taught in public school, are anti-science, or that some other nonsense. Fact is, these are the extreme and do not represent the vast majority of Christians. Even the Vatican itself does not see evolution or science as a threat at all. I hear they have quite the observatory.
Every church I've been to has preached love and forgiveness, not death. I'm Southern Baptists, by the way, but I've been to Pentecostal Churches so strict that don't allow make up or pants on women (it's funny watching my cousins buy makeup with sunscreen... sunscreen is legal). I've been to a church where the preacher's wife had her children, all four of them in the home with nothing to kill the pain whatsoever because that is supposed to be Eve's punishment for original sin. Of course, this was her choice and was against the preacher's wishes... she did it anyway... because, like I said, women are not below or behind men. My point is that I live in the very crotch of the Bible belt. I know what I'm talking about. I've met no one as batshit crazy as you believe we ALL are.
But then you made it to the point I quoted you on. Once I read that I realized that it was not the Christians who are batshit crazy, but you. Even the craziest of the Phelps gang doesn't believe the "death to..." crap you believe all Christians teach. Rick Santorum is pretty hard core, but I've never heard him call for death to anyone. See, the Bible teaches that only God may punish for violations of God's law. But I can tell you Rick Santorum is no worse than Mike Huckabee, who was a governor of a state. Mike Huckabee killed no one for sinning.
It doesn't matter what I tell you though. You are going to believe what you believe. You harbor the exact same hatred towards Christians, or all religious people that racists harbor against whatever race they hate. You are the same. Your feed your own hatred with the lies you tell yourself, which makes you hate more, which makes you believe more lies, which makes you hate more and so on.
Proof? You think Christians are just as bad as Muslims, right? When was the last time Christians hijacked a plane full of Jews or Muslims and flew them into buildings full of innocent people of all religions? That's right! Never. That's FACT, but even FACTs won't change your mind or make you hate any less.
or this...
I believe it should be death to those who believe in make believe.
Congratulations! The qualities in Christians that make you hate them so much that you want them to die are also in yourself, except Christians don't really have those qualities... just you.
Re:I think the Taliban are anti-girl. (Score:4, Insightful)
"They're not anti-girl, they're anti-empowered girls."
Racial version:
"We don't hate niggers. We just hate uppity niggers."